Apparatus for stripping ingot molds



' Oct 15, 1935. D. P. ANDERSON 2,017,384

APPARATUS FOR STRIPPING INGOT MOLDS Filed Oct. 19, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 2i 5537 Q M0 E52 E w 4 NINMMI, WW 2 w W 1 2 Patented a. 15, 19352,017,384

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE a David P. Anderson, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application October 19, 1933, Serial No. 694,317

1 Claim. (01. 22-95) This invention relates to a novel method andpractice to loosen the ingot in the mold at the apparatus for strippingingot molds, and particuingot pp and to then ieaVe it in the mold larlyto ingot molds of the big-end-up type, for transportation to the soakingpit, where it is although not limited thereto. withdrawn and chargedinto the furnace. The v 5 In the past, it has been customary in the vastconventional soaking pit cranes are provided 5 a majority of open-hearthsteel plants to cast inwith tongs for lifting purposes only, and it isgots in heavy, vertical cast-iron molds having a therefore necessary toconvey the molds and inslight taper, with the smallest area adjacent thegots to the stripper for feeling the ingot, p, and which is p at b ends-When and toforce loose what are known as stickers.

0 teeming Pouring the ingot, the molds are One object of the presentinvention is the proplaced onfiat Cast-iron plates Which vision of anovel apparatus for stripping ingots, a mou ted on sp y d p ingot meldtogether with a supplementary means for posi- Ca After a or ladle fullof Steel is tively loosening seized ingots, regardless of how teemedinto a row of molds and the molten t tl th t k t th m,

"metal has sufficiently solidified, a train of ingot Another object is tid novel means 15 mold cars, carrying the molds and ingots, is transfort i i i t ld i a, Very rapid and ported to a ingot Stripper for removalof the efiicient manner, together with means for premold, after whichthe ingots are charged into a venting the dropping of t i t ld from theSoaking p reheating fumeeeapparatus during the operation.

The conventional ingot stripper is in the A th object is t provide anovel apparatus 20. form of an electric overhead traveling crane underof the class described which may be easily d which are two or more pairsof parallel tracks, manufactured and d i j ti on one of which the trainof loaded ingot mold t conventional types of i t mechanism, Cars s ad pd to d- On an adjoining track thereby obviating the necessity of anexpensive a train of empty ingot mold cars carrying stools andtroub1esome installation, 25

only is placed. The stripping mechanism de- These and still furtherobjects will be apparent pends from the overhead crane, and operates inafter referring to the drawings, in which:

such manner as to seize the molds by lugs cast on Figure 1 is anelevation of the apparatus of the its side by means of a pair of links,lift them invention.

vertically off of the ingot and place them on the Figure 2 is anenlarged sectional elevation. 30 empty stools on the ingot mold cars onthe ad- Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 of the apjoining tracks.paratus in another stage of operation.

There have been several recent developments Figures 4 and 5 aresectional elevations of a in the form of ingots and molds which arecalmodified form of the invention in two stages of culated to improvethe soundness of the metal of operation. 35 the ingots. One of thesedevelopments contem- Referring more particularly to the drawings, platesthe reversal of the taper in the mold, makthe letters A indicate a pairof tracks on which ing it What is now known as the big-end-up anoverhead crane B is adapted to travel. A ty e, Another advance has be tprovide conventional overhead crane trolley C is adapted fractory hottop to provide a sink-head or for movement on the Crane B and pp a 40Shrinbhead on t of the ingot. vertically disposed screw D and reels Eand F.

It is, of course, obvious to those skilled in the The Screw D may be V vrtically with reart that the acceptance of the superior big-endspect tothepverhead trolley C by means of up mold has necessitated-the provisionof new motor Whlle the reels E and F y be rotated methods and apparatusfor stripping and hanbyAmeatls zg H a g g i 1 E dling the ingots andmolds. Due to the small palr ca J 1s secure 9 e ree while a similar pairof cables K 15 secured to reduced end of the ingot, 1t can no longerstand the reel R unsupporied for tlfansportatim} the soaking pit Acarriage 2 is secured to the ends of the cables or reheatingfurnaceafter stripping, as was the J and K in order that it may beraised and 50 11511911 Practice. It is not feaslbi? 9 ered by rotatingthe reels E and F in unison. msgots or lay them down upon theu' sldesias the An extended sleeve 3 is carried by the carriage metallurgicalcharacteristics of the ingots would 2 and pivotally supports, as at 4, apair of hoistbe badly affected. ing links 5. The hoisting links 5 aremoved about Inview of the foregoing, it has become common the pivots 4by means of the cables J and K 5 which are secured to the reels E and Fof the overhead crane, and are provided with lugengaging surfaces 6 ontheir lower ends. The intermediate portions of the hoisting links 5carry inwardly projecting lugs 7.

An inner sleeve 8 is disposed within the carriage 2 and extended sleeve3, and supports a ram 9 on its lower end, the latter further supportinga downwardly extending yoke ID, A pair of dogs I2 are mounted on theupper portion of the yoke I I] and serve to engage the inwardlyprojecting lugs l of the links 5 in such manner as to preventtheirspreading when the yoke is raised to a predetermined position withrespect to the carriage 2.

An elongated nut l3 is associated with the overhead crane and extendsinto the carriage 2 and extended, sleeve 3. A similar elongated nut I4is connected to the inner sleeve 8 carrying the ram 9, and is reverselythreaded with respect to the nut l3.

A double acting screw I5 is provided with a threaded portion l6 for thenut l3, and a similar threaded portion I! for the nut, and as beforestated is rotated from the overhead crane trolley C as by means of themotor G.

A plurality of ingot mold stools 20 is disposed on the usual ingot moldcars, or buggies, 2|, and support ingot molds 22 of the big-end-up type.That is to say, the lower portion 22 of the ingot mold 22 isconsiderably smaller in area than the upper portion 22 The molds 22 areprovided with a taperedapertur'e 23 in their bottoms and external lugs24 to enable their handling. A tapered plug 25 is provided for theaperture 23 in each of the molds 22 and extends partially therethrough.

After molten metal has been teemed into the molds 22, the solidifiedingots 26 are transported on the stools 20 and ingot mold cars 2| and,with their .hot-tops removed, to the ingot mold stripper of theinvention, where it is desired to loosen the ingots from the molds priorto their removal and transfer to the usual soaking pit, or reheatingfurnace.

In accordance with the teaching of the present invention, the reels Eand F of the overhead crane trolley are rotated in such manner as tolower the carriage 2 until the lug-engaging surfaces 6 of the hoistinglinks 5 are disposed under the upper of the lugs 24 on the ingot mold22. The reels E and F are then adjusted with respect to each other androtated in the opposite direction in such manner as to raise the ingotmold from its stool 20. A pin 21 which is mounted on the rod 28 in orderthat it may be handled from a remote distance is placed on the stool 20in such manner as to permit it to extend into the aperture 23 when themold is again lowered by the reels E and F of the overhead crane trolleyC.

After the mold is lowered, the pin 21 engages the tapered plug 25 andcauses the ingot mold 22 to move downwardly with respect thereto,thereby loosening the ingot.

Due to various imperfections in the mold and the steel ingot disposedtherein, the operation is sometimes insuificient to loosen the ingot.

. .When the hoisting links 5 are engaging the lugs 24 of the ingot mold,the yoke In is in an upwardly retracted position such as will permit thedogs l2 to engage the inwardly projecting lugs l and prevent the links 5from spreading with the consequent possibility of ,the release of theingot mold.

The overhead crane trolley C raises the carriage 2 in such manner as topermit the ingot mold 22 to clear the upper portion of the basket 29,whereupon it is placed therein in such manner as to permit the pin 32 toextend into the aperture 23 and engage the bottom of the tapered plug25. The screw I5 is rotated to permit the yoke NJ to descend and makecontact with the top of the ingot mold. The cables K are lowered andcause the lug-engaging surfaces 6 of the hoisting links 5 to engage thelugs 3| of the basket. The yoke I!) further descends and serves to pushthe ingot mold 22 down into the basket while the links 5 are biasedupwardly by raising the carriage 2 through the cables J. This actioncauses the ingot mold 22 to be pushed downwardly with respect to theingot 26 regardless of how tightly it may have frozen therein.

It is to be understood that the overhead crane trolley C may be one of anumber of conventional types, and forms no part of the present inventionother than as means for operating the various elements of the ingot moldstripper, and while I have shown and described one specific embodimentof my invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to be limitedthereto, since various modifications may be made without departing fromthe scope of my invention, as defined in the following claim.

I claim:

Apparatus for stripping an ingot mold having a plug in its bottomcomprising a carriage supported by an overhead crane, a pair of hoistinglinks pivoted on said carriage, a pair of oppositely threaded elongatednuts slidably disposed in said carriage in vertical juxtaposition, adouble acting screw in threaded engagement with said nuts, meansassociated with said overhead crane for rotating said screw, a ramconnected to the lowermost of said elongated nuts, interlocking means onsaid ram and said hoisting links for restraining the latter fromseparation when said ram is in a predetermined position, and means forrotating said screw in such manner as to cause said ram to movedownwardly when said links are.

